The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing

Written in 1910, this "cyclopedia" is full of information that was quite useful at the time. A hundred years later, its text is more humorous than practical -- although some advice never goes out of style. (Summary by Rachelellen)

43 episodes

In the Field (1914-1915)

I have merely tried to make a written record of some of the hours I have lived through during the course of this war. A modest Lieutenant of Chasseurs, I cannot claim to form any opinion as to the operations which have been carried out for the last nine months on an immense front. I only speak of things I have seen with my own eyes, in the little corner of the battlefield occupied by my regiment. (Summary by the author)

8 episodes

The Loss of the S. S. Titanic

This is a 1st hand account written by a survivor of the Titanic about that fateful night and the events leading up to it as well as the events that followed its sinking. - Summary written by Allyson Hester

10 episodes

Beasts, Men and Gods

“Beasts, Men and Gods” is an account of an epic journey, filled with perils and narrow escapes, in the mold of “The Lord of the Rings.” The difference is: it’s all true. Ferdinand Ossendowski was a Pole who found himself in Siberia and on the losing side during the Bolshevik Revolution. To escape being rounded up and shot, he set out with a friend to reach the Pacific, there to take ship back to Europe. During his journey he fell in with dozens of other military men who shared the same objective… but nearly every one of them perished on the way. It’s up to you to decide whether Ossendowski was threatened most by the beasts, by the men, or by the gods, or indeed, by the severe and uncompromising landscapes of Siberia, Mongolia, and China. That he survived at all seems improbable. The mystical mysteries and magics of Buddhism, “The Yellow Faith”, were woven about and through his sojourn and had no little part in his survival. Time after time he was put in the delicate position of being the bargainer between warring groups, and ultimately, only incredible luck and his friendship with the Hutuktu of Narabanchi Monastery saw him through. When published in the United States, this book caused a sensation and became a best-seller. (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

36 episodes

Five Months at Anzac

A Narrative of Personal Experiences of the Officer Commanding the 4th Field Ambulance, Australian Imperial Force . From his leaving Australia December 1914 till his evacuation due to illness after 5 months at Gallipoli. Read to remember those who were there. (Introduction by Annise)

5 episodes

The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire

The first half of this book describes the devastating earthquake that hit San Francisco in 1906, and the subsequent destruction caused by fire. Various eyewitnesses and victims give their account on the tragedy. In the second half, a number of different other earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are retold, like the eruption of the Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeij or the explosion of the Krakatoa, together with scientific explanations for the causes of earthquakes and the eruption of volcanos. (Summary by Availle)

33 episodes

Fighting France, from Dunkerque to Belfort

American novelist Edith Wharton was living in Paris when World War I broke out in 1914. She obtained permission to visit sites behind the lines, including hospitals, ravaged villages, and trenches. Fighting France records her travels along the front in 1914 and 1915, and celebrates the indomitable spirit of the French people. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)

6 episodes

Martyred Armenia

This is a first hand account of the Armenian Genocide written by a Syrian who had been a Turkish official for three and a half years. His accounts tell of the worst of humanity, and also of the noblest. The noble include families who courageously support each other in the face of death, and Turks who refuse to follow orders to kill, knowing that they shall be executed themselves for their defiance. The genocide occurred just before and during World War I, and estimates as to the number of people murdered range from one to one and a half million. (Introduction by Margaret)

6 episodes

The Escaping Club

Described by some as one of the greatest escape books published. The Escaping Club recounts Evans' escape to Switzerland from a supposedly "escape-proof" German prison camp during World War I. After repatriation and rejoining the war, Evans again finds himself captured, this time first by Arabs and then by Turks. He again manages to escape. A detailed look at the trials faced by Allied POWs during World War I. (Summary by Tom Weiss)

23 episodes

Between the Lines

This book, all of which has been written at the Front within sound of the German guns and for the most part within shell and rifle range, is an attempt to tell something of the manner of struggle that has gone on for months between the lines along the Western Front, and more especially of what lies behind and goes to the making of those curt and vague terms in the war communiqués. I think that our people at Home will be glad to know more, and ought to know more, of what these bald phrases may actually signify, when, in the other sense, we read 'between the lines.' (Summary by Boyd Cable)

15 episodes

The Red Battle Flyer

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during World War I. He is considered the top ace of that war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories.Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of Jasta 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 (better known as the "Flying Circus"). By 1918, he was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and was very well known by the other side.Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death. He remains perhaps the most widely known fighter pilot of all time. This recording is a short autobiography of Manfred von Richthofen. For information, the Ordre Pour le Mérite, was also known by the flyers as The Blue Max. (Summary by Wikipedia and Tom Weiss)

7 episodes

The Underground Railroad, Part 5

"I congratulate you that, after much patient research, careful preparation, and untiring labor, you have completed your voluminous work on "THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD." I am sure your work will be found to be one of absorbing interest, worthy of the widest patronage, and historically valuable as pertaining to the tremendous struggle for the abolition of chattel slavery in our land. No phase of that struggle was so crowded with thrilling incidents, heroic adventures, and self-sacrificing efforts as the one you have undertaken to portray, and with which you were so closely connected, to wit: "THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD." While it will be contemplated with shame, sadness, and astonishment, by posterity, it will serve vividly to illustrate the perils which everywhere confronted the fugitives from the Southern "house of bondage," and to which those who dared to give them food and shelter were also subjected." Wm. Lloyd Garrison William Still is often called the Father of the Underground Railroad. Over 14 years, he helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom in Canada. Still was committed to preserving the stories of the bondmen and he kept careful records of the many escaped slaves who passed through the Philadelphia “station”. The Underground Railroad was published in 1871 from Still’s records and diaries. In bringing you these stories, Librivox volunteers are reading from the 1878 edition. (Summary by MaryAnn) Complete list of recordings comprising this book: The Underground Railroad, Part 1 The Underground Railroad, Part 2 The Underground Railroad, Part 3 The Underground Railroad, Part 4 The Underground Railroad, Part 5.

39 episodes

Sixty Years in Southern California 1853-1913

Harris Newmark was personally acquainted with every person and family involved in the founding of the city of Los Angeles, California. He gathers into this well-written book his reminiscences of the period from 1853 to 1913, as Los Angeles developed from a tiny village surrounded by great ranchos into a modern city. This book is a fascinating treasure trove of information for anyone who lives in Los Angeles. ***NOTE: It should be noted that there is language within this book that was commonplace during the time this book was written that is often considered offensive today.***(Summary by PJ Landau, Note by KHand)

42 episodes

With the Judæans in the Palestine Campaign

From the Preface: The formation of a Battalion of Jews for service in the British Army is an event without precedent in our annals, and the part played by such a unique unit is assured of a niche in history owing to the fact that it fought in Palestine, not only for the British cause, but also for the Restoration of the Jewish people to the Promised Land. - Summary by J. H. Patterson

37 episodes

Mob Rule In New Orleans

Born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, feminist, leader in the Civil Rights Movement, and one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Gathering her information from two New Orleans newspapers, Mrs. Wells-Barnett recounts in graphic detail the events of one particularly violent week in early 20th century New Orleans during which a mob "roamed the streets day and night, searching for colored men and women, whom they beat, shot and killed at will." A worse massacre was avoided, as stated by the author, because of "the determined stand for law and order taken by these great [newspapers] and the courageous action taken by the best citizens of New Orleans, who rallied to the support of the civic authorities." This account serves as chilling documentation of the mindless savagery of an anger- and hate-driven mob. - Summary by Holly Jenson

17 episodes

The Fireside Chats

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt thirty radio addresses made throughout his terms as President of the United States between 1933 and 1944. The speeches are snapshots of American life during the turbulent decade that included the Great Depression and World War II. (Summary by Jill Engle)

31 episodes

Tales Of The Royal Irish Constabulary

The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the armed police force of the United Kingdom in Ireland from the early nineteenth century until 1922. About seventy-five percent of the RIC were Roman Catholic and about twenty-five percent were of various Protestant denominations, the Catholics mainly constables and the Protestants officers. In consequence of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the RIC was disbanded in 1922 and was replaced by the Garda Síochána in the Irish Free State and the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland. This book of stories about the RIC, written by a staunch Crown Loyalist, was published a year before its dissolution. A few terms: Sinn Fein were insurgents fighting to establish an independent Irish state; Volunteers were local members of the Sinn Fein; Black and Tans were a force of temporary constables formed to assist the RIC; Auxiliaries or Auxiliary Cadets or merely Cadets were another group in aid of the RIC; "gone to America" was a euphemism usually meaning death (unless the context showed that it really meant emigration); "Castle" meant Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the seat of the United Kingdom government's administration in Ireland. ( david wales)

21 episodes

Bullets & Billets

A front-line view of life in the trenches of the Western Front in the early part of 1914-1915. Told by Lieutenant (later Captain) Bruce Bairnsfather, cartoonist, whose Alf, Bert, and Old Bill were forerunners to Bill Mauldin and his Willie and Joe in World War II. This volume traces Bairnsfather's service as a machine gun officer from its inception until he was removed from the battlefield by the intense shelling during the Second Battle of Ypres (April 1915). It is told with a wry, ironic, grim humor often possessed by those who have endured shells, bullets, floods, mud, bully beef, maconochie, and a surfeit of plum and apple jam. His participation in the unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914 (for which he was investigated in view of a court-martial) is documented as well as the horrors of war at close quarters. (Summary by Dr. P. Gould)

32 episodes

San Francisco Before And After The Earthquake

As all but Martians know (and who knows, perhaps even they), the city of San Francisco, California, was destroyed by massive earthquake and unquenchable fire in April, 1906. Will Irwin was a sometime San Franciscan who was then living in New York. He wrote a piece for the newspaper The Sun on April 21st, remembering and describing he city that was no more. He called it The City That Was. Four years later he returned to San Francisco and, amazed at the rebuilding, wrote a second piece for The San Francisco Call which he entitled The City That Is. The first endeavor became famous and was frequently reprinted; it made the reputation of Irwin as a reporter. - Summary by David Wales

3 episodes

Our Army at the Front

During the US deployment in Europe in the final years of the Great War (WWI), the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was accompanied by notable New York Tribune war correspondent, Heywood Broun. Although Broun better known (and remembered) as a sports writer, drama critic, journalist and social reformer, and not least as a member of the Algonquin Round Table, with such wits as Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley, his writing of the activities of the AEF as it helped defeat the Central Powers in the war provides a unique perspective, including a view of the international interaction between the Americans and their European allies. The work concludes by reprinting the initial report to the Secretary of Defense by American General John J. (Black Jack) Pershing who was the commander of the AEF, and contains detailed information regarding the level of the US effort and something of the obstacles which had to be overcome for the AEF efforts to be successful. (Dr.PGould)

26 episodes

War Is a Racket

Army Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler's expose of American Corporate Imperialism. Butler said, “I served in all commissioned ranks from second lieutenant to Major General. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street, and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism. I suspected I was just part of the racket all the time. Now I am sure of it.” - Summary by John Greenman and https://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/major-general-smedley-butler

5 episodes

A Century of Negro Migration

Dr. Woodson describes the internal migration of African Americans within the United States, including the Northern Migration and the draw of California. Cultural and sociological observations are made as well as a study of principal economic factors in this migration. Summary by KevinS.

9 episodes

Elsie Inglis - The Woman With the Torch

This is a brief biography of the Scottish physician and suffragist Dr. Elsie Inglis. Dr. Inglis founded a maternity hospital for the poor in Edinburgh (then known as the Hospice, but later as the Elsie Inglis Memorial Hospital), and was known for her charity and willingness to waive fees when patients could not afford her care. She was also a key figure in Scotland's Women's Suffrage Movement. She is best known, however, for founding the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service, which provided staffed teams of female-staffed field hospitals to war zones during World War I. - Summary by Ciufi Galeazzi

14 episodes

Stories of the Ships

While most associate the "Great War" with trenches, barbed wire, machine guns, and poison gas, ships played roles in the military at the beginning of the 20th century. Stories of the Ships is a 1919 collection of accounts described in the first person by those who fought battles on the sea during World War I. It gives the listener a more complete account of the conflicts that defined the most costly war in history. Lewis Ransome Freeman (1878 – 1960) was an American explorer, journalist and war correspondent who wrote over twenty books chronicling his many travels, as well as numerous articles. He became a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1917-18. He was a correspondent attached to the Grand Fleet late in the war, and was a staff member for the Inter-Allied Naval Armistice Commission which traveled to Germany in 1918. (Summary by Jeffery Smith and David Wales)

17 episodes

Preliminary Report on Neo-Fascist and Hate Groups

A preliminary report to the U. S. Congress on a portion of the subversive activities conducted by two specific Neo-Fascist organizations that espouse racial hatred and un-Democratic positions then at work in the United States. (Early 1950s) - Summary by KevinS

5 episodes

Margaret Sanger; an autobiography

Margaret Sanger, an advocate for birth control rights, chronicles the story of her struggles, including her times in jail and in exile, in order to legalize birth control options for women. She details the uphill battles of not only convincing lawmakers, but of doctors as well. Her relentless pursuit is told against the backdrop of courtrooms, her personal life, and her travels across the globe, giving a glimpse into the world during and post-WW I. This riveting account is a must read for those interested in a key moment in woman’s history and reform. (Summary by PhyllisV)

49 episodes

Through Broadland in a Breydon Punt

Arthur Henry Patterson was a self-taught naturalist who, from a very early age, devoted much of his free time to observing, discovering and documenting all aspects of the natural history of the Norfolk Broads, especially the area around Breydon Water near his home town of Great Yarmouth. At some 75000 acres (117 sq miles / 303 sq km), the Broads are the largest protected wetland in Britain. AHP was the author of many books about Broadland as well as submitting numerous papers and articles to nature societies and journals. Also, he was for many years, a regular and popular contributor (under the pen name of John Knowlittle) to the local county newspaper. The chapters of this book, Through Broadland in a Breydon Punt, originally appeared during the autumn of 1919 in the columns of the Eastern Daily Press and such was the level of interest in the subject matter, that AHP was persuaded to republish them in book form. So, if you have an interest in nature, sailing or just messing about on the water, then why not hop aboard and join Mr Patterson and me as we launch The Yarwelp - his (17 foot long by 4 foot wide by 1 foot deep) converted Breydon Punt for a unique holiday experience, travelling around the Norfolk Broads? - Summary by TND

10 episodes

Over There: War Scenes On The Western Front

Bennett's served in many capacities in the WWI war effort. After a visit to the Western Front he wrote this 1915 collection of essays about his impressions. He declined being awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) at the end of the war. - Summary by David Wales

6 episodes